Backyard Basketball 2007 Review

October 18, 2007 - At least it's functional. That might not sound like much, but after playing through the other two Backyard Sports DS games, one of which was glitchy and mediocre (Hockey) and the other of which was basically unplayable (Football), it's a huge compliment. Backyard Basketball, developed by Mistic Software (the studio behind Backyard Hockey) features the same robust set of options as their other game, but is far easier to play and more polished. It may have to do with basketball being in some ways a simpler sport than hockey, but if you go in with average expectations, Backyard Basketball for the DS is actually pretty fun.

Like the other Backyard Sports games, Backyard Basketball is notable because it features real teams and players in a much younger environment. The game features all 30 NBA teams as well as 6 made-up ones created for this game. About 18 NBA players are featured in this game, with the rest of the selectable characters filled in with kids from the Backyard Sports franchise. The 3D models bear a pretty decent resemblance to their NBA counterparts, from Yao Ming's height, to Carmelo Anthony's corn rows and Dirk Nowitzki's long face. Their statistics seem thought out as well, right down to Shaq's low outside shooting abilities.

The main game is 3-on-3 basketball, played on dinky, kid-sized courts. Each player can shoot, pass, sprint, pump fake, spin and steal, which all work together well without getting too complicated or confusing. Characters move around smoothly on the court and the camera does a good job at keeping all the important action in frame. The perspective is horizontal instead of vertical for some reason, which can make the hoops tend to pop into frame instead of being seen from down the court. But the courts are small enough that this doesn't hurt gameplay too much.

Each time the player takes a shot, a shot meter at the bottom of the screen (similar to that in bowling or golf games) reflects the power of the throw and, according to the instruction manual, the accuracy. Yet I noticed a few times during play where the meter was perfectly filled and a basket was missed, or the meter was less than half-filled and the ball went in fine. A little more reliability in this meter would have improved the game, since it's so integral to gameplay.

There are three primary game modes: Season Play, which takes the player through character and team selection and an entire season of games, Pickup Game, which involves character and team selection but no lengthy season, and Play Now, which jumps right into a single game without any selections. As opposed to the other Backyard Sports DS games, character selection actually feels worth the effort here, with characters moving and shooting substantially better than other based on their stats. 2-player multiplayer is offered for the main game and minigames, although download play is not supported.

Graphics are pretty decent in this game, with courts that are well-textured and filled with incidental 3D objects on the sidelines. It might be due to the tighter camera, but the 3D players in this game display much clearer than in the other two Backyard Sports games on DS. Menus and all 2D art is pretty bland by comparison. Audio in the game is consistently solid, if still a bit limited. The light tunes match the free spirit of outdoor balling, and the sound effects are used well and feature just the right amount of ball bouncing and sneaker squeaking.

The game offers two minigame modes as well, although these are more 1-on-1 variations of the main game then wholly original minigames. In Around the World, the player and their opponent take turns shooting from various star-marked locations that circle one side of the court. Each player shoots from the stars in order until they miss a shot. The winner is the first player to shoot from every star location, twice around. In Hot Shot, the other minigame, the court is again littered with star locations. The player has a limited amount of time to shoot from as many of these locations as possible, before it's the other player's turn. Hot Shot isn't as enjoyable as Around the World, and it's a bit disappointing that the developers didn't include the basketball classic H-O-R-S-E as a minigame instead of (or in addition to) one of these other minigames.

Closing Comments
For a DS basketball game aimed at a younger audience, Backyard Basketball is pretty good. Having just reviewed the other two Backyard Sports games on DS, I was expecting another stinker. While the game has its share of quirks and isn’t as polished or ultimately enjoyable as a game like Mario Hoops: 3-on-3, its gameplay always feels fair and it should be easy for younger kids to get into. At $30 it’s a bit light on features, but parents of young basketball fanatics could choose worse.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
4.0	Presentation Plain, like the other Backyard Sports games. Although a little less ugly this time.
6.0	Graphics 2D art is pretty bland, although the 3D characters and courts are nice.
6.5	Sound Nice use of stereo in the songs, and solid use of ambient sounds and sound effects.
7.0	Gameplay The shot meter has some issues, but everything else is balanced and plays well.
7.0	Lasting Appeal 2-player multiplayer, minigames and a decent selection of modes and options.
6.5 Passable	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)